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Latest Cycling News for March 26, 2007

Freire: a fragile genius

Triple World Champion Oscar Freire has been through some ups and downs
in his career, which started out in 1998. His second victory as a pro
was the World Championships in Verona, Italy, in 1999, and ever since
the prestigious win, the Spaniard's health has been plagued by many different
problems: knee, back, saddle area, neck - it seems not many parts of his
body have been spared by pain during these years. Yet, when he was in
shape, the 31 year-old never failed to score.

"He's a man for moments," said Rabobank team manager Erik Breukink about
Freire after his second victory in Milan-San
Remo this past Saturday. "You can feel it in advance, that Oscar would
have a good day - that was such a day."

Breukink, who's in charge of Freire since the Spaniard joined the Dutch
team in 2003, never doubted the rider's way to treat his illnesses, even
though there have been plenty. "They say that he's nonchalant,
but Oscar lives for his sport," the team manager told ANP. "He
treats his body well; you can see it when after he's again been out for
a while."

That was the case during much of last season, as Freire was facing severe
spinal pains in his neck and did not know to
which expert physician to turn anymore. Then, by the end of last year,
he decided to stop any
treatment and just rest - and the pain miraculously improved.

Now, the triple World Champ is back to his best, as he proved on Saturday
when he beat Allan Davis (Discovery Channel) and Tom Boonen (Quick-Step)
by more than a bike length on the Via Roma in San Remo. In seven
participations in the race, he never placed under the Top 7... "It's a
race that suits him well," explained Breukink. "He can ride in the front
group well, and always manages his strength perfectly."

This weekend, Freire wasn't nervous, even when Riccardo Riccò (Saunier
Duval) and Philippe Gilbert (Française des Jeux) attacked on the final
climb, the famous Poggio. "I didn't find it hard to stay put; I trusted
my sprint completely," Freire said post-race. And when it came down to
the fast men in the last kilometres, the Spaniard knew exactly which back
wheel to take - the one of Alessandro Petacchi (Milram). "He had a nice
little train in front of him with three teammates," Freire continued.
"I knew exactly where I had to be - nobody would have been able to get
me away from there."

He dedicated his victory to his uncle Antonio. "He's in hospital right
now," Freire said. "He gave me my very first bike, when I was nine years
old."

In the future, the Rabobank star hopes for many more victorious moments
in a career that he would like to continue for at least two more years.
"The World Championships is the most beautiful competition of the year,"
he said on Saturday. "This year, I want to win in Stuttgart and after
that, in Varese and Mendrisio, as they will be special to me. Both locations
are close to my home in Switzerland. So I'll surely continue racing for
another two years!" Let's hope the Spaniard's physical problems will leave
him alone for a while.

McEwen misses podium by a hair

Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen has greatly improved his performances
in Milan-San Remo for
the 100th anniversary of the race this week-end: The Predictor-Lotto rider
threw his bike over the finish line just centimetres behind Allan Davis
(Discovery Channel) and Tom Boonen (Quick-Step), ending up with a very
honourable 4th place. Last year and in 2004, McEwen could not follow the
aggressive riding on the Cipressa climb, and in 2005, he did not start
the race because of a flu. His best placing was in 2003, when he finished
30th inside the bunch, 11 seconds of the winner Paolo Bettini.

"I could have finished on the podium," McEwen told Sportwereld
after the race. "I chose the right hand side of the road, and got blocked
there. When I finally got some space, the sprint was already over."

But the Australian fast man has now showed that he has improved his
climbing, finishing fifth on the hilly course of the Salzburg World's,
and now fourth in the Classicissima. "I can win here one day -
that is the lesson that I have learned at this Primavera, which
didn't unfold perfectly for me. Quite the contrary. I crashed and got
a brake in the backside: not only was it painful, but it also took a lot
of power to chase back to the bunch after that."

Just before the final sprint, too, McEwen encountered some difficulties.
"The preparation [for the sprint] wasn't perfect, either," he continued.
"When someone form the Milram train [Marco Velo - ed.] came off the lead,
he swerved and I almost crashed. I had to jump fast to get to Boonen's
wheel."

Finally, a photo finish between Davis, Boonen and McEwen showed that
the Australian missed the 2007 Milan-San Remo podium by a hair. Still,
the Australian sprinter can be proud of his performance.

Doping in the 90's, according to Belgian TV

By Susan Westemeyer

A Belgian TV program Panorama claimed on Sunday night that former
professional cyclist Uwe Ampler introduced EPO to Team Telekom in the
early 1990s, against the will of team manager Walter Godefroot. Bjarne
Riis allegedly made use of that and other doping products when he won
the Tour de France in 1996, according to former soigneur Jef D'hondt.

According to D'hondt, he was at Telekom when Ampler, who rode for the
team, starting using EPO. His good racing results encouraged the other
riders to try it. "It was the riders themselves who asked for the EPO,"
D'hondt said, according to Sporza. "Our doctors at the University
of Freiburg supplied them."

D'hondt specifically named two further Telekom riders. He claimed that
Riis had a particularly high hematocrit, caused by the use of EPO. During
the Tour de France 1996, which the Dane won, "Riis had a hematocrit of
64 at one time during the Tour," according to D'hondt, who further claimed
that the now-CSC manager developed rheumatism because of his use of doping
products.

The other Telekom rider named was Erik Zabel, who the Belgian said "did
not participate" in the use of the doping substance. "Our sprinter Erik
Zabel did not do it. He tried a small amount, but he was categorically
against it. He said that he did not need it."

In response, Walter Godefroot, who is now team manager for Team Astana,
said, "There was no organised team doping at Team Telekom," according
to sporza. However, according to Het Laatste Nieuws, Godefroot
confirmed that he had heard of EPO use on the team and communicated that
to the UCI. He added that there was no sense browsing in the past. "We
have learned enough already," he said. "Let us leave the past behind and
concentrate on the future."

Quickstep Manager Patrick Lefevere also appeared on the program, and
according to sportwereld, said angrily, "Just what do you want,
anyway? Do you want every rider to get down on his knees and confess?"

Another name from the past appeared in the story - Jesus Manzano, who
claimed that "there were tricks to get around the doping tests." Manzano
said that after he had a severe crash in the 2003 Tour and he was waiting
for an ambulance, his team manager whispered to him to keep quiet about
his use of doping products.

The program concluded that EPO is no longer in use, at least among Belgian
riders. Various doctors stated that such riders as Tom Boonen, Nick Nuyens
and Gert Steegmans are not using EPO. Their development to become top
riders was reportedly the result of a natural progression, and their blood
values have remained constant over the years. Both Nuyens and Steegmans
appeared on the show to deny that they had ever used doping products.

Boonen gets new custom bike

Former World Champion Tom Boonen - who has had back problems for four
years - is to receive a custom-built from Specialized. On Sunday, the
American bike manufacturer said it had given the Belgian a custom-made
bike to test, in the hope that his problems will improve.

Monaco-based Boonen has now returned to his home country in preparation
for the Spring Classics. "Because the races take place here now, he's
staying in the country and will see a back specialist, too," Quick-Step
team director 'Fitte' Peeters told Sportwereld. "Tom's back problems
started in Gent-Wevelgem four years ago, when he crashed into a photographer.
It remains a delicate issue, but we have it under control."

Serrano out of Castilla y León

By Monika Prell

Marcos Serrano, one of the leaders of Karpin-Galicia for the Vuelta
a Castilla y León, won't be able to participate due to a bronchitis. According
to todociclismo, he will be replaced by Gaizka Lasa. Leading the
team will thus be Ezequiel Mosquera, who is in a good competition form
- he finished second in the Vuelta a Mallorca amongst other placings.

His sport director, Álvaro Pino, said on Mosquera, "He will be the our
leader in this race because he showed an excellent form and a big regularity
in the races he rode." His rivals include the likes of Ivan Basso, Alberto
Contador (both Discovery Channel), Carlos Sastre (CSC) and Oscar Pereiro
(Caisse d'Epargne).

For the initialising time trial on Monday, Pino rated his own Santos
González as a favourite. "He's a cyclist who can be good in this time
trial, but for winning the entire race he has to be at 100 percent, because
for the victory you have to sustain a mountain top finish like the one
in Navacerrada in the last stage and for the moment, González still doesn't
have his ideal competition form."

Dessel down with toxoplasmosis

AG2R's Cyril Dessel is suffering from toxoplasmosis, blood tests have
revealed. The Frenchman, who wore the Yellow Jersey at last year's Tour
de France, felt tired since the beginning of the season, and will now
rest completely for a period of ten days. Dessel will thus not participate
at the Settimana Internazionale this week, and find out whether he needs
to take antibiotics in a few days.

"The second part of the season shouldn't be compromised," he told L'Equipe.
"In any case, I had planned a pause in April, like last season, and I
should be back to competition in the Tour de Romandie in May."

Hoj out of Classics

One-day race specialist Frank Hoj was looking forward to racing again
in the Spring Classics, but unfortunately the Dane has to remain at home
for another four weeks. The Cofidis rider, who cut the tendon of his left
toe in early February in a cycling-unrelated accident, was eager to build
up form for the April races, but this only worsened the situation. The
tendon cracked again, and now Hoj needs to rest completely.